Carpet sweeper



Feb. 8, 1938. T. H. STOUGH 2,108,003

CARPET SWEEEER Filed Oct. 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l T. H. sTouGH CARPETSWEEFER Feb. 8, 1938.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 29, 1936 Patented Feb. 's, 1938 UNITEDSTATES CARPET SWEEPER Turney H. Stough, Jeannette, Pa., assignor to TheJeannette Steel Corporation, Jeannette,

Par

Application October 29, 1936, Serial No..108,284

3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in carpetsweepers.

An object of the invention is to provide a carpet sweeper of extremelysimple construction, embodying a minimum number of parts and one that isinexpensive to manufacture, the body of the sweeper is formed of sheetmetal that is pressed; stamped or otherwise shaped tothe desiredconfiguration to facilitate assembly and dis-assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide r a carpet sweeperwherein the body portion thereof is formed .of top and bottom sections,the latter carrying the rotary floor brush and provided with dustcollection receptacles while a pivotally mounted handle member carriedby the top section is adapted within a range of pivotal movement to forman interlocking connection between the top and bottom sections withcooperating cam members carried by the handle element and top section toseparate said interlocking connection and permit separation of the topand bottom sections of the sweeper body.

With the above and other objects in view that 0 will become apparent asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel form, combination and arrangement of tical position when thecarpet sweeper is out of use and further lowered to a horizontalposition as shown by dotted lines to permit separation of the top andbottom sections of the sweeper Figure 2 is a cross-sectional viewshowing the rotary brush disposed between two dust collection chambers;

Figure 3 is another cross-sectional view adjacent one end of the sweeperbody and showing the spring arms for tensioning the bearings of thefioor rollers and the latch lever for retaining the rotary brush inposition;

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1,showing an end bearing for a floor roller that has an interlockingconnection with the bottom section;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken non line 5-5 of Figure 1,showing the side legs ofthe ball of the handle lowered to horizontalhandle being illustrated by dotted lines in verposition with thecooperating cam devices carried by the side legs and top section of thesweeper body engaged with each other for displacing the ends of the legsfrom interlockingly connecting the top and bottom sections of thesweeper body;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1;showing the side legs of the handle bail vertically disposed and theends of the legs interlockingly connecting the top and bottom sectionsof the sweeper body;

Figure '7 is a vertical crosssectional view taken on line '|l of Figure6, showing the friction drive connection between the floor rollers androtary brush; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the handle rod,partly in section and showing the screw connection between sectionsthereof.

The sweeper body is formed of top and bottom sections l0 and IIrespectively, the sections being detachably connected together by meansof a handle device that comprises a bail l2 having side legs l3 that actto separably connect the body sections in a manner to be laterdescribed. The bail I2 carries a threaded socket l4 intermediate itsends as shown in several of the figures for the threaded reception of'one end of a handle rod l5 that is formed of sections l6, shown inFigure 8 as having their adjacent ends reduced and surrounded by acollar or sleeve IT with a double screw device I8 forming a connectionbetween the handle sections IS.

The bottom section II of the sweeper body is of rectangular form in planview and includes the bottom wall l9 having upwardly arched side and endwall sections 20, the bottom wall [9 inclining downwardly towards thecenter from. op-

posite sides and being longitudinally cut away as at 2| to provide aclearance for a roller brush. Up'standing walls.22 carried by the spacedbottom wall sections I9 border the opening 2| and define dust collectionchambers 23. A downturned relatively short marginal flange 24 is carriedby the wall IQ of the. bottom section II.

A rotary brush and floor wheels are carried by the bottom section H andthe'mounting for the brush and wheels includes an inverted U- shapedspring plate comprising side walls 25 and 2'6 and a connecting top wall21, the arched end wall sections 20 being longitudinally cut away toprovide a clearance for the floor wheels and the mounting of the bearingplate. The inner wall 26 of the bearing plate rests upon the upper faceof the bottom wall sections I9 at opposite sides of the cut away portionl9 and is engaged portion 23 while the lower edge of the outer wall 25of the bearing plate is located inwardly of the end wall section 23 andin contact therewith, a pair of lugs 39 as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 6being carried by the lower edge of the outer wall 25 of the bearing forengagement with the end wall sections 29, the bearing plate beingrigidly attached to the bottom section H.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the inner wall 26 of each bearing plate isprovided with a pair-of slotted openings 3| respectively within the areaof the dust collection chambers 23 and a longitudinal-rod within eachdust collection chamber 23 projectsthrough the adjacent slotted openings3| into the cut-away portion 23. of the bottom section II with a floorwheel 33 fixed to each end of the rod. Aspa'ing device is associatedwith the bearing plate and rod end for normally holding the floorrollers 33 in their lowered position and-the bottom section |l\ elevatedrelative thereto, the spring device as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3having the intermediate portion 34 thereof anchored to the wall 23 bymeansof the lug 35 struck out from said wall, the end legs 33 beingengaged with the upper sides of the rods 32.

- A roller brush is removably journalled in the walls 23 of the bearingplate and extends longitudinally of the cut away portion 2| in thebottom between the bottom wall sections l9, the r0- tary brushcomprising a twisted wire core 31 carrying bristles 3,3, the oppositeends of the wire core 31 having a collar 39 anchored thereto outwardlyof the bristles 38 with a friction roller 43 anchored on the outer endof each collar and disposed in the cut away portion 23 of the bottomsection Ii for engagement with the floor wheels 33 as clearly shown inFigure '7, the spring device acting to maintain frictional engagementbetween the wheels 33 and 43. The lower edges of the inner walls 23 arecentrally cut away as at 4| to permit insertion of the collar 39 thereinand the retaining element for opposite ends of the rotary brush includesa lever 42 pivoted as at 43 to each wall 23 with a book 44 at the end ofeach lever providing a bearing for the brush collar 39 as shown inFigure 3. To remove the roller brush 33 from the body of the carpetsweeper, thelevers 42 are moved on their pivotal mountings to displacethe hook bearings 44 laterally of the notches or cut away portions 4| inthe walls 23 whereupon the roller brush may be readily removed from thesweeper body.

The top section II has an upwardly arched wall 45 carrying an outwardlydirected marginal flange at its lower edge that is surrounded by arubber or other cushion bead 43.

When the top and bottom sections Ill and ii of the carpet sweeper areassembled, the rubber gasket 43 is seated on the edge bead 24 carriedby, the bottom section II and the top and bottom sections are detachablyconnected together by means 01 the bail l2. The ball i2 is carried bythe top section II and being of a resilient character, the side legs l3thereof normally move toward the end walls of the wall 25 with theinwardly directed angular ends 41 on the legs l3 extending throughopenings 43 in the end walls of the cover wall 45 and adapted forprojection through openings 43 in the outer wall 25 of the bearing platefor the floor wheels and brush as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Each endwall of the cover wall 43 carries a pair ofspaced lugs 33 intermediatethe sides of the cover wall 43 and each leg l3 has an inwardly oifsetabutment 5| that is adapted to be-positioned between said lugs 5|l forretaining the handle rod l5 in vertical position as illustrated indotted lines in Figure 1 when the carpet sweeper is out of use. As shownin Figures 1 and 5, a pair of cam abutments 52 is carried by each endwall of the cover wall 45 adjacent the lower edge of the cover andrespectively at opposite sides of the lugs 50 so that when the handle i5is lowered to the horiaontal dotted line position shown in Figure 1, theabutments 5| on the legs l3 engage the cam abutments 52 on the coverwall 45 for moving the angle ends 41 of the legs out of the openings 49in the walls 25. of the bearing plate to permit separation of the topand bottom sections l0 and H of the sweeper body for cleaning the rotarybrush 33 as well as the dust collection chambers 23.

Pressure on the sweeper body through the handle rod l5 causes thesweeper body to be lowered toward the floor line and against the tensionof the spring device 34 with the rotary brush 33 moved into contact withthefloor, operation of the brush sweeping dust and other foreign matterupwardly into the dust collection chambers 23 within the sweeper body.By forming the handle rod l5 of-sections l3 as shown in Figures 1 and 8,the carpet sweeper may be packed for shipment in a relatively smallpackage and when the handle sections are assembled, they present a rigidhandle rod for operation of the sweeper. The handle rod I5 is movablethrough a relatively wide are between the lugs 50 and abutment cams 52on the sweeper body and it will be understood from an inspection ofFigure 1,

so that the handle rod may be positioned at various angles when thesweeper is being used. The ball i2 of the handle constructionconstitutes a device for interlockingly connecting the top and bottomsections l0 and H of the sweeper body and in order to separate suchsections, it is only necessary to lower the handle rod I5 to ahorizontal position as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1 for removal ofthe angle ends 41 of the tom sections, an inverted U-shaped framehavingspaoed side walls rigidly mounted parallel to each other in eachend of the bottom section, floorwheels and a brush journalled in theframes and projecting downwardly through openings provided in the bottomsection, the top section inclosing the frames and having abuttingmarginal edge contact with the bottom section, the outer wall of eachinverted U-shaped frame having an opening therein and the end walls ofthe top section having openings registering with the aforesaid openingsand a handle including a ball with inwardly directed angle ends receivedin said registering openings for holding the top and bottom sections inassembled relation;

2. Ina carpet sweeper of the character described, an elongated casinghaving top and bottom sections, an inverted U-shatnd frame having spacedsidewalls rigidly mounted parallel to each other in each end of thebottom section, floor wheels and a brush journalled in the frames andprojecting downwardly through openings provided in the bottom section,the top section inclosing the frames and having abutting marginal edgecontact with the bottom section, the outer wall of each invertedU-shaped frame having an opening therein and the end walls of the topsection having openings registering with the aforesaid-openings and ahandle including a bail with inwardly directed angle ends received insaid registering openings for holding the top and bottom sections inassembled relation, and a.

cam on the top section positioned for engagement by the bail when thelatter is moved to a predetermined position for moving the angle ends ofthe bail out of the openings in the outer walls of the U-shaped frameswith the angle ends of' the bail remaining in the openings in the topsection whereby the top section and handle may be tom sections, aninverted U-shaped frame having spaced side walls rigidly mountedparallel to each other in each end of the bottom section, floor wheelsand a brush iournalled in the frames and projecting downwardly throughopenings provided in the bottom section, the top section inclosing theframes and having abutting marginal edge contact with the bottomsection, the outer wall of each inverted U-shaped frame having anopening therein and the end walls of the top section having openingsregistering with the aforesaid openings and a handle including a bailwith inwardly dlrectedangle ends received in said registering openingsfor holding the top and bottom sections in assembled relation, andcooperating cam means formed on the top section and the handle and soconstructed and arranged as to be rendered operable when the handle ismoved to v a predetermined position for separating the pivotalconnection between the handle and the bot tom section whereby the topand bottom sections may be separated.

' TURNEY H. STOUGH.

